Adjusting Your Presentation to Your Audience Size

An audience of 15 people is considered small and is the most common size people are asked to address. With this size you should establish eye contact with each member of the group as early as possible and face the audience all the time. Interact with them, solicit questions, allow individuals to ask questions but to keep them short.

An audience of 15 or more is considered large, speak up to be heard by people at the back, sum up and link up, emphasise important points, keep your message wide and general and only give details if you are asked for them.

Dealing with Presentation Logistics

Only meticulous organisation can ensure that your presentation will be effective. Careful planning of practical details in advance will free you to concentrate on perfecting your presentation.

Logistic Sequence Planning Your Presentation:

1 Find out in good time and obtain details of who is organising the event?

2 Plan and check travel arrangements, how will you be traveling to the venue?

3 Request the floor plan from the organiser, what size and shape is the room?

4 Find out if you have to supply anything yourself and what equipment is available?

5 Find out if you are the first presenter or who will be speaking before you?

6 Make sure they are briefed in advance about who will introduce you?

7 Visit the venue in advance before the presentation time, you may need changes made.

The Purpose of your Presentation

It is important that you are clear about the reason why you giving a presentation. Do you want to pass on information, entertain, educate, explain or inspire your audience?

If your purpose is to pass on information; structure your presentation and whet their appetite; if you want to entertain them, include jokes anecdotes and funny stories; if you intend to inspire the audience, keep the content of your speech positive personally and emotionally.

The Four Essential “Es” of a Successful Presentation are Educate; Entertain; Explain and Emphasise. 228.

The first “E” aims to educate the audience to learn something from your speech; the second “E” aims to entertain because the audience must enjoy your presentation; the third “E” aims is that all the parts of your presentation should be clear to your audience; the fourth “E” is emphasise a maximum of four points of your presentation at the beginning of your speech, in the middle and at the and to reiterate your message.

Get a “catchy” easy to understand title that sums up your presentation, because a difficult title will only be understood by you, and your audience will not be open to you if they have no clear idea of the subject of your presentation.

Do not rely only on the often quoted out of date dusty old books for your presentation, consider using a press-cutting agency to supply you with the new ideas, use the internet, and finally consult your fellow professionals, they could have the information you need.

Think laterally when structuring your presentation and choose familiar images to support your ideas and look outside your own field of expertise for examples that make your points clear.

The classical formula for a presentation is:

Tell them your audience what you are going to tell them, then tell them what you want to tell them, and finally, tell them that you have told them.

Be aware that written material can sound very different when it is delivered to an audience in spoken form. Remember that writing a speech is different from hearing it. Write your presentation in prose (ordinary), (natural oral style) that follows spoken speech-patterns suitable for verbal presentation. Imagine your words as your audience would hear them.

Avoid grammatically correct sentences that are unclear and use active verbs such as “I work, I think” and use first and second person pronouns “I” and “You”. Say “You” must recognise this system, and not “This system must be recognised by you” during your presentation. Encourage and engage your audience in what you are saying by being positive all the time. Say, “This can make a difference” and not “This may make a difference”.

Find different ways of expressing the same idea naturally, be particular about what to include in the presentation and make sure that the written structure of your presentation is not complex or confusing and use examples to make your points clear.